...based on relevance for central banks.  At the top is the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, followed by the Quarterly Journal of Economics and the Journal of Monetary Economics.

In recent years, I have been teaching a seminar to a small group of Harvard freshmen. I described the seminar in this essay in the NY Times. The assigned readings change a bit from year to year. In case any of my blog readers are interested, here are the books I chose for this year:The Worldly Philosophers, by Robert HeilbronerCapitalism and Freedom,...

I just finished reading Chip War by Chris Miller (a professor of international history at Tufts). It is a fascinating history of the semiconductor industry. Relevant for not only economics but also geopolitics. Highly recommended.

These TV shows aren't new, but they were new to me, and I enjoyed them both: Borgen (a Danish political drama) and Caliphate (a Swedish drama about an impending ISIS attack). Both are on Netflix, available dubbed in English or in the original language with subtitles. Thanks to Olivier Blanchard for the Borgen recommendation.

Adam Smith's exact birth date is unknown, but it was sometime in June 1723.  So, 300 years ago this month.  I thought I should not let the month go by without acknowledging the father of modern economics. If you want to celebrate, I suggest reading this book about Smith's friendship with David Hume.

I make some recommendations in the Wall Street Journal.